Sweet Poison
by Ariaprincess
Summary: "Sugar and spice and everything nice.." That perfectly describes Oliver Kirkland, second player to Arthur Kirkland. What happens when little Liechtenstein is captured by Oliver Kirkland and Roland Edelstein (2p Austria)? Read to find out! Disclamer: I do not own Hetalia. Or any of the characters besides one OC. Rated T for potential torture. [OLD FIC- DO NOT READ]
1. Chapter 1: Oliver

Chapter 1: Oliver

 _Tap tap tap._

Liechtenstein (Lili) was sleeping. A peaceful sleep. Nothing disturbing her. Nope, just a completely ordinary, peaceful sleep.

 _Tap tap tap._

Ah, such bliss. Being able to get some peaceful sleep at last. No nightmares or anything. Pure bliss.

 _Tap tap tap._

 _To be able to sleep like this was just- hang on, what's that tapping noise?_

Lili sat up in bed. There was nobody at the window, and the door was open. The only other thing in the room was..

..the mirror.

She swung herself out of bed and went to check the mirror. Nothing _seemed_ off about it. A simple circle of reflecting material, with a plain wood border. Big brother didn't want to risk spending money on more embellishments.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap..._

" _Hello, poppet."_

Lili screamed. In the mirror, instead of her reflection, was a man with blond hair and blue eyes, with a tiny dot of pink in the center. He was grinning madly.

" _See you soon."_

He vanished as quickly as he had come.

...

"Big Brother!"

Switzerland had heard her scream. He burst through the door.

"What is it? It isn't Austria, is it?"

"N-no. There was a man in the mirror."

Switzerland sighed.

"Lili, it was just a nightmare. Don't scream like that."

 _But if it's a nightmare, how can I avoid screaming?_

"Y-yes, Big Brother."

Lili tried to go back to sleep. It was only a dream, right?

That morning, Lili woke to sunlight. No more nightmares. Nope.

Breakfast was completely ordinary, no discussion of the mysterious man in the mirror. Lili did a few chores, spent time with Switzerland, nothing worth mentioning. Though lunch was good.

In the afternoon, something happened. Something so strange that Lili thought she had hallucinated.

Waiting on the dresser in the bathroom was a cupcake. Vanilla with pink frosting and a blue wrapper. It was topped with a british flag, but with pink and pastel blue instead of red and navy blue. It was placed upon a white china saucer rimmed with pink flowers, and there was a note card attached.

 _To Lili. From Oliver._

 _Oliver? Who's Oliver? I don't know any Olivers._

Something told her not to trust that cupcake. She knocked it into the garbage can and left it there, crumbling to dust.

...

"Big Brother?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Do you know any Olivers?"

Switzerland stopped chewing.

"Yes, why?"

"Somebody named Oliver left me a cupcake on the bathroom dresser."

He froze, mid-bite. Looked up at her.

"Lili. Listen to me. Never, ever, EVER, eat one of those cupcakes. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Big Brother."

Switzerland waited for her to leave, then went straight to the phone.

"Arthur? Yes. He's back."

 **Hello, my poppets! This is the new story, not the one I said would be the new story... Yes, it's Oliver again (the wanker), and I hope you like what comes next!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Chance Encounter

Chapter 2: A Chance Encounter

Lili snuggled into her warm bed covers. Big Brother had washed them today, and they smelled like soap and warm fabric.

 _No more bad dreams tonight, ok?_

No such luck.

 _Tap._

 _What was that?_

 _Tap._

 _I hope it isn't the man again. He's creepy._

 _Tap._

 _It's all just my imagination, right?_

 _Crrrrack._

Lili sat bolt upright. Somebody had put a crack in the mirror, a big one at least two inches wide.

 _It's him!_

Lili tried slinking back under the covers, but to no luck. She could still see the awful crack in the mirror. It was burned into her eyelids. She could even hear his awful voice in her head still.

" _Hello, poppet. See you soon."_

His voice sounded smooth and sort of suave, like poison or cupcake frosting.

 _Did he leave me the cupcake? I hope not._

Lili just buried her face into the pillow.

 _Don't think about it! Don't think about it! Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't...think...about...zzzzZZZzzzz._

And before she knew it, she was asleep.

That night, she had a dream.

She was sitting in a black room. There was a table in front of her, with a single cupcake on it.

It was the same cupcake as earlier.

" _That wasn't very nice earlier, poppet. How'd you like it if you'd been working on something all day and somebody threw it in the dustbin?"_

Lili couldn't think of anything to say except "S-sorry..."

" _That's better. Good manners maketh the man..er, woman."_

Something dropped from the ceiling. Lili couldn't make out anything except the shape. It was a man. He walked toward her and tipped her chin up, forcefully yet lightly, with his fingertips.

" _And I'm always one for good manners."_ he purred.

Lili woke up in a cold sweat.

 _Who w-was that?_

 _..._

"Big Broooootheeeeer!"

Switzerland came running into the room, panting (again)

"What's wrong? What is it?"

"Another bad dream..."

Switzerland sighed.

"Are you not getting enough sleep? Insomnia?"

"N-no.."

"Is something else wrong?"

"No.. Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Yes..."

Lili snuggled back under the covers and pressed her head into the pillow. She tried not to think of the scary man with blue and pink eyes.

 _Was he the man in the dream?_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _He did call me 'poppet'..._

Lili just shut her eyes tightly and thought happy thoughts, rainbows and butterflies and cupcakes...damn!

But after much trial and error, she managed to succumb to exhaustion.

 **Rawr! Smexy Oliver! (I'm sorry... ;A;) Anyway, Austria enters next!**


	3. Chapter 3: Austria

Chapter 3: Austria

The next day, the first thing Lili saw was the crack in the mirror. Now that she could actually see it in the morning light, she saw it was big enough for somebody's head to fit through. A blond head with blue and pink eyes...damn! She couldn't get the man out of her head.

She stumbled through all of her chores in a daze, thinking about cupcakes, and manners, and eyes like big pools of blue and pink...

"Lili! Lili!"

"Mmhmm..."

"Liechtenstein!"

Lili snapped out of her trance.

"Y-yes?"

"You've seemed so out of it today. Is anything wrong?"

Lili hurriedly shook her head.

"N-no, big brother. Nothing to worry about."

Lili didn't want Big Brother to worry about her. He already had so much on his plate.

That night, Lili put a big strip of duct tape over the crack in the mirror. When she cut off the strip, she thought she saw a flash of red in the mirror, and a whisper of the words "Oh, damn." and "Swear jar!~" But she ignored it. She can't be going crazy, right?

She felt a lot safer that night. I mean, even if there was a man on that side of the mirror, he couldn't get through the duct tape. Right?

She didn't want to think about what would happen if he could.

She just pulled the covers around her, tried not to scream, and fell quickly to sleep.

...

" _Hey there. You expected Mr. Cupcake? Nah, he let me have tonight's shift."_

Again with the black room, but this time, instead of a cupcake, there was a letter.

 _To Lili. From Oliver._

 _Dear Lili,_

 _I had a bit of a tummy ache, so I left for tonight. Don't be worried, I left Mr. Roland Edelstein to entertain you for tonight, otherwise known as Austria~ I hope he doesn't get too..close... never mind. I also left a stereo with you, so if he gets a little too close for comfort, just hit the "play button", ok?_

 _Love, Oliver._

Lili set down the letter, trembling.

"Geez. When Mr. Cupcakes Happy Sparkles said there would be a visitor tonight, I thought he meant somebody _good._ Not this little mouse."

Lili jumped. The voice was back, the scary one. But it seemed different. It clearly wasn't Oliver, that's for sure.

"W-who are you?"

"Roland. Didn't the letter tell you?"

The voice was playful and cold. It reminded Lili of some anime she had seen Japan discussing once. Grell...Sutcliffe? Yes, Grell Sutcliffe.

"Now that you're here, it's time to have a little...fun..."

Something pushed her up against the wall and Lili screamed. She felt warm yet rough hands on her wrists, pulling her arms out of her sockets.

"Let me go!"

"Oh, I don't _think so._ Now that Mr. Sparkle Happy isn't here to babysit me, I can do _whatever I want._ "

Lili saw the stereo in the reflection of Roland's glasses. If she could just make it to there..

She went limp against the wall, letting Roland get closer and closer..until she shoved him away with surprising strength and rushed toward the stereo.

Roland laughed and pushed his glasses farther up on his face, as they had slipped.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Lili pushed the play button on the stereo. Gentle classical music started playing, and Roland screamed.

"It hurts! Turnitoffturnitoffturnitoffturnitofffffff!"

Lili pressed pause. Roland sat down on the floor, rubbing his head.

"God damn that Cupcake Freak...he has a mean streak a mile wide...psychotic too...but man, does he make good cupcakes..."

He suddenly looked up at Lili and grinned.

"And it looks to me like you're about to be his next ingredient."

 _Ingredient?_

Lili woke up panting. Her wrists stung and the letter was sitting on her bed. When she opened it though, it said something quite different.

 _Dear Lili,_

 _I am so sorry about the way Roland treated you. I made him pay five dollars in the swear jar and gave him a time out. I look forward to seeing you again._

 _Love, Oliver._

"Lili? Lili? Arthur wants to see you."

"So, Lili. You've been seeing a blond man with blue and pink eyes with a fondness for cupcakes in your dreams?"

"Y-yes. Except tonight. Tonight there was a man named..R-Roland?"

Arthur started muttering under his breath. "Of course. Austria."

"What?"

"Nothing. Seems like I'll have to have a talk with him. And Roland."

"Who?"

England stood up and started to leave, but before he left, he said five words.

"My second player, Oliver Kirkland."

...

Arthur walked into his bedroom and faced the mirror. He took a deep breath. He hadn't seen Oliver in quite a while.

"Oliver, what have you been up to?"

His reflection shimmered and distorted into an image of a man the looked a lot like him, but with blond hair and blue and pink eyes.

"Oh, Arthur. What's wrong now? Have your scones burnt again? Remember, I said I wasn't making house calls anymore."

Arthur blushed, his face turning a deep shade of red. Oliver recognized the reaction and grinned.

"I-I'm here about the girl. Lili."

Oliver's grin grew even wider.

"Oh, _her."_

"You need to let her go. Right now."

Oliver's grin dropped.

"B-but, whyyyyy? She's so cute, like a little cupcake!"

"Don't tell me you're crushing on her."

Now it was Oliver's turn to blush.

"NO! Of course not!"

"Good, because if you were, you would be crushing on somebody similar to a newborn infant. Perfectly natural."

"I'm not. But do I have to let her go?"

"Yes."

"Fine. I'll let her go..."

Arthur walked away, certain the conversation was over.

"... _but not for long."_

 _..._

Lili was not looking forward to going to sleep that night. She begged and pleaded, tried to stay up as late as possible, until Switzerland finally yelled:

"Liechtenstein! Arthur talked to Oliver, and he is going to leave you alone! Now GO TO SLEEP!"

Lili ran to her bedroom, jumped in her bed, and fell asleep instantly.

No dreams that night, thank god.

When she woke, she felt uneasy, like something was wrong in the air started to rise, but a single, elegantly manicured hand covered her mouth and pushed her back onto the bed.

" _Now, now, poppet. Let's not scream._ "

 _ **Squeeeeee! (I am a terrible person...) :3**_

 _ **Roland scares me a little...**_


	4. Chapter 4: Through the Mirror

Chapter 4: Through the Mirror (Roll Credits!)

Lili whimpered. The hand smelled metallic and sweet, like sugar and...was that blood?

" _Hello, Lili. We finally see each other again."_

The hand tightened and another pushed her into a sitting up position.

" _Be a dear and get out of bed, please?"_

The other hand started pushing on the small of her back, forcing her to tumble out of bed and on to the floor. Something lifted her up by the scruff of her nightgown and pushed her towards the mirror.

"H-how did you get here?"

" _Isn't it obvious? Through the mirror on your dresser-top. How about you go there, then?"_

The hand on her mouth moved to her legs, scooping it up like a puppy.

" _If you scream, I promise it will be your last."_

She was hoisted up onto the top of the dresser and was soon followed by two heavy footsteps.

" _Hold your breath, dearie."_

She was pushed through the mirror.

The mirror rippled like plastic wrap. It felt like walking through Jell-O™ while wrapped in a straightjacket. With lead strapped to her back.

She emerged in a room that looked _quite like_ England's common room. Except the hues were more pink and blue than olive and brown. It looked a lot like a children's nursery. Complete with sparkles and big stuffed animals all over the place.

"Do you like it?"

Lili turned around. Her kidnapper was standing right behind her.

Smiling.

Shrugging his shoulders and hands in his pockets.

"It's not much, but you know, it's home."

Lili drank in the image of so called Oliver Kirkland. He was a blond man with an insane grin, with those dreaded eyes like pools of blue with tiny pink spots. He wore a blue sweater vest and a pink bow tie, with a white long-sleeve shirt and slacks. His black shoes were perfectly polished, and a tiny red smear near his temple. Lili hoped it was ketchup.

"Where is this place?"

"Doncha know? The Other Side of the Mirror. Where all the second players live."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"It's where you live now."

Lili ran back to the mirror and tried to jump through, but stopped when she saw the dresser was covered, and I mean covered, in tiny china knickknacks.

"Wise choice, poppet. Wouldn't want to make _me_ mad."

Lili stepped back. Looking into his eyes, she could tell he wasn't kidding.

"W-why did you bring me here?"

Oliver rubbed his neck. "I...er, _we,_ wanted a child. Somebody to take care of, ya know? It gets so loooooonely here with nobody to care for."

Lili thought about this.

"Why didn't you take my...second player?" She murmured, wincing at the term.

Oliver grimaced. " _Her?_ No no no no no. She's too violent, too restless. We wanted somebody meeker, milder."

"Someone like me."

"Someone like _you._ " Agreed Oliver.

" _Finally~ I was waiting forevvver!"_

A flamboyant man in a red coat waltzed carefreely out of the nearest doorway. He swung his arms, almost knocking over a decorated lamp and two mugs. Oliver shrieked.

"DON'T BREAK ANYTHING!"

The man grinned, revealing sharp, pointed teeth.

"Relax, Cupcake. I know better than that. I still have burn marks from _last_ time I accidently broke one of your stupid china cats."

Oliver looked hurt. "My _mother gave me those."_ He said, pouting.

The man turned to her. "Well well well, look who we have here! Little Miss ' _Oh, I can turn on the goddamn stereo anytime I want to, just to make Roland's ears hurt!'"_

Oliver grinned. "Swear jar, Roland, you know that!"

Roland groaned, and headed for the kitchen. Lili heard the distinct clink of coins on coins and grumbling. Her legs gave out from under her, and she landed with a _thump_ on the carpeting. Oliver gave a little yelp.

"Oh, poppet, you poor thing! I forgot how disorienting the switch can be!"

Lili thought in a daze how strange this man was. One minute he's a psychopathic maniac, the next he's almost a caring father.

Oliver scooped her up and walked down to a room with a handpainted sign on the door.

 _Lili's Room~_

Inside was even stranger. There was a four-poster bed with a pink canopy and bedsheets in one corner. There was a pink dresser and vanity against one wall, and a big chest against the other. There were two overstuffed armchairs and a small table next to the bed. Stuffed animals shaped like rabbits and bears were strewn around the room, and the bed had a lot of sparkly pillows on it. There was also a closet door close to the bed.

"Here you go, poppet." Oliver rested her on the floor. "There's pajamas in the closet for you. Go ahead and get changed. I'll be in later with some tea, ok?"

Lili just nodded. _What a strange man._

She shakily stood up, then tottered over to the closet. Inside were a bunch of drawers and some unidentifiable clothings on hangers. Lili opened the drawer marked "pajamas" in loopy writing.

 _Nightgown, nightgown, nightgown, nightgown...no two pieces?_

Eventually she gave up and pulled on a pink nightie with lace around the hem.

"Hello? Are you decent?"

"Y-yes."

Oliver pulled open the door, holding two steaming mugs on a tray. He gave a little squeal when he saw Lili in the nightgown.

"Oh! You look so _cute_ , poppet!"

Lili blushed. "T-thanks..."

Oliver went and sat down on one of the chairs, placing the tray on the table. Lili sat down in the other, picking up one of the mugs and sipping the hot brew. Oliver took the other, and they sat in silence for a moment. After a while, Oliver said, "We only wanted somebody to take care of, you know. It's not personal."

Lili sighed. Then, softly, she murmured "I understand."

Oliver brightened visibly. Like, literally, the ends of his bow tie flipped up a little.

"Really? Thank you, poppet."

"N-no problem."

They sat, drinking their tea, when out of the blue:

"Will you stay with us?"

Lili thought long and hard. She didn't want to leave big brother, but she could plainly see that behind the happy facade, (or was it a facade?) he was taking her resistance hard.

"Y-yes.." she said softly.

Oliver looked up at her, smiling happily. Even though he was old enough to be her father, he looked like a small child then.

"Thank you."

 **Title reference? Anybody? Oh... anyway, next chapter...stuff happens!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Day in the 2P Household

Chapter 5: A Day in the Second Player Household

"Oh look, she's awake. Our little sleeping beauty."

Lili slowly opened her eyes. Roland was standing in front of her, holding what looked like a..paintbrush?

"Roland?"

He seemed to be studying her face quite intently, like an artist studying a canvas. He nodded.

"That'll do. That'll do. Oh, Oliver is going to _kill me~_ " He squealed, running off. Lili touched a fingertip to her cheek. Creamy whiteness awaited her.

"Poppet! Oh no, oh no oh no oh no! What did he do to you?"

Oliver came bursting through the door.

"My poppet! Oh no! Look at your face!"

Lili shakily got out of bed, and headed to the bathroom.

Her face was a beautiful, artfully crafted mess. It started off with a white base layer, then red eyeshadow, lips, and black eyeliner. Red spots decorated her cheeks, and a long, intricate, curving line curled itself around her right eye.

Oliver shimmied his way into the bathroom behind her.

"That Roland.. how dare he..."

He picked up a washcloth. Wetting it in the sink, he started rubbing it to Lili's face.

"Merg..."

"I'm sorry, dearie, but this is the only way to get rid of it.."

Lili just stood there as still as a rock. Oliver slowly and methodically moved the washcloth around her face, removing all trace of the makeup. The washcloth was pink and smelled like wet cotton.

"There...we...go! All gone! Now come on, poppet. Let's go eat some breakfast."

Lili just stood there for a minute. Touched her cheek. Smiled a little.

Breakfast was sausages, pancakes, and strawberries. Roland poked the pancakes with his fork.

"Ya sure you didn't put anything in these to get back at me for my masterpiece?"

Oliver grinned, "Nope."

Roland smiled, showing his pointy teeth, and took a bite of sausage. His jaw went slack, and his face turned pale white.

"Urgh! Bleckbleckgrossssssewewewewew!"

"I never said anything about the sausage though!"

Roland wiped his mouth and grimaced. "What _was that?"_

Oliver shrugged. "Just a little cyanide. No big deal."

Lili's eyes widened. This man was dangerous. No matter how much he would try to convince her otherwise. She pushed the sausage to the farthest end of her plate. Oliver noticed and his smile dropped.

"Oh, not yours, poppet! Only Roland's." Oliver smiled. "I wouldn't poison _you_."

Roland smirked. "Oh, sure. You'll poison big bad Mr. Austria but not little mouse over here."

"Yup." Oliver smiled and ate a bite of pancake. Austria removed all sausages from his plate and popped a strawberry in his mouth. Chewing, he muttered. "Please tell me there are no poisons in these."

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Oh, like this then?" yelled Roland, spraying strawberry all over the table. Oliver shrieked.

" _My tablecloth! You beast!"_

"And proud of it!"

Lili giggled. Both men turned to her. "Hmm?"

"I-I'm sorry, it's just, you're acting like a married couple!"

Both men stared at each other in disgust.

"Ok, for the record," said Roland, gesturing with his fork, "I only room with this guy because there was nobody else left, 'kay? I don't like him that much. He's always on my case about swearing too much and being 'ungentleman-like'!" That last word was said in a mocking british accent, and Oliver pouted.

"It's not like I feel any different! You're so...um...er...messy?"

Roland burst into peals of laughter. "He's so sensitive, he can't even insult people! The little bastard!"

"Swear jar~"

"Godammit!"

"25 cents~"

"F*** you!"

"50 cents~"

"Bastard!"

"75~"

"That's it, you little-" Roland started cussing out Oliver in as many swear words as he could think of. Lili curled up into a little ball on her chair and stayed that way until Roland was done. Oliver smiled.

"Are you done?"

"Yes."

"You owe me 5 dollars!"

Roland walked up to the swear jar and stuffed a five dollar bill down the slot. Lili just sat there trembling. Oliver walked up to her and gave her a hug.

"Look, you've scared her!"

Roland scoffed. "Whatever."

Lili slowly relaxed. She decided she did not like this man. At all. No matter what Oliver said.

"Poppet? Are you ok?"

Lili nodded, her face flushed. Oliver smile grew wider.

"I'll take your plate, luv. Did you like it?"

"Y-yes. Thank you." Oliver blushed.

"A-anytime, poppet."

Oliver picked up her plate and moved it to the sink. Turning to Roland, he smirked. "Due to your little swear party this morning, you're on dish duty." Roland protested wildly, but Oliver just took Lili's hand and led her back to the bedroom

"I left some clothes on the bed for you. Go and get changed."

Lili closed the door to her bedroom and inspected the clothes that he had left for her. A pink Little Red Riding Hood dress, with matching shawl/jacket, white tights, and pink mary janes. The jacket had lots of lace and two little pom-poms on strings at the neck. Lili quickly got dressed and went down to the kitchen. Oliver almost shrieked when he saw her.

"Oh, poppet! You look _so_ sweet, like a little cupcake!"

"Yeah, we know." Roland grumbled as he scoured dishes with a sponge. "Everything cute looks like cupcakes to you."

Oliver ignored him. "Oh, Flavio was right! This is _perfection!"_

"F-Flavio?"

"Second player to Romano. Lovely chap, very fashion forward."

"I work with him sometimes, you know. Makeup and stuff." admitted Roland, blushing.

"Anyway, I have a meeting today, poppet. You'll be with Roland today. Just..be careful. You're welcome to explore the house, just..."

Oliver looked at Roland meaningfully.

"..Don't go in the basement, ok?" Lili nodded.

"Alright, I'm off! See you this afternoon! I love you, poppet! Byyyyyye!"

And he left. The house felt eerily silent. Lili pondered the words.

" _I love you, poppet..."_

Lili ran up to her room, fast as possible. She didn't trust herself to be alone with Roland.

The sight of her room was getting to be comforting. Unlike Switzerland, Oliver seemed to have no problem putting embellishments on _everything._ Sparkles, glitter, and tulle decorated almost every surface in her room. She liked to think he was doing it to make it feel nice for her, but more likely he just liked sparkly things. She slowly crept out of her room. It was time to explore the house.

The first room she saw was the library. Big, wide, and lined with bookshelves, this was the most impressive library she had ever seen. When she went to inspect the worn leather spines, she found they were mostly fiction..and cookbooks. But her eyes widened and her heart almost stopped.

 _Common Household Poisons and How to Use Them._

Lili stopped in her tracks. Surely it was just the one book, right? But the farther she walked down the shelf, the more she saw the were all like this.

 _Poisonous Plants, Vol. 3_

 _Unlikely Threats Around the House and How to Incorporate Them Into Daily Life_

 _Top Five Most Deadly Toxins in the History of Man_

 _The Care and Keeping of Knives_

 _Weapons Around Britain_

 _Basic Human Anatomy_

Lili started to sweat. Why would her cheerful and happy guardian keep these kinds of books? Maybe it had something to do with whatever's in the basement. She started to head toward the west wing. Maybe the basement was there. _I'm not gonna get anywhere with 'maybe'. I must investigate._

Nothing. No basement. Anywhere. She found a bedroom decorated with posters of different models and stuff like that, and a vanity covered in different kinds of makeup (Roland's room), a room covered with more sparkles and cute posters than usual (Oliver's room), and around three bathrooms, kitchens, and other miscellaneous rooms.

 _Think. if I was a psychotic baker, where would I hide my secrets? Of course..._

 _...the kitchen._

Lili ran toward the kitchen, where Roland was sitting at the table, sketching. He noticed her coming in and smirked.

"Oliver told me to tell you that, no, the basement is not secretly hidden in the kitchen. He said you would eventually get bored and start looking for the basement, and you would jump to this conclusion sooner or later. Now go to your room and be a good mouse until he gets back."

Lili grimaced. "Y-you're not my guardian. You c-can't tell me what to d-do."

Roland picked up a paintbrush and started spinning it between his fingers. "You were saying something?"

Lili's eyes widened, and she ran up to her room before he could pull out anything else. She wasn't used to standing up to adults like that. Opening the door a crack, she snuck out and went to inspect Oliver's room, just one more time.

Oliver's room was more complex then one might expect on the surface. She found two more books on the bed, _Cupcakes, Gore and More!_ and _50 Daily Uses for Human Blood,_ a couple of hidden knives under the dresser, and an E-Z Bake Oven tucked into the corner.

Oh, and the basement entrance too.

She found it by mistake, by tripping over a stuffed ladybug and throwing out her hands to catch herself, landing on the dresser. One hand fell onto hard teakwood, one hand landed on a squishy cupcake plushie, which gave a kind of dying _squeeeeek_ and inserted itself into an indentation in the dresser. The entire front of the dresser swung open, revealing a dimly lit passageway, a slide to be exact. Lili stumbled a couple of steps backward, then looked around, grabbed on to the edges, and slid down.

The slide went very fast, with lots of turns and drops. When it ended, Lili staggered out, disoriented.

 _Figures Oliver would have the entrance to his secret basement be a twisty slide._

After getting accustomed to the dimly lit room, Lili looked around to see something out of a horror movie.

Three ovens lined the right wall, as well as racks of little bottles filled with either a brightly colored liquid or a powder. Coming closer, Lili could read the labels.

 _Arsenic_

 _Icing Sugar_

 _Hemlock_

 _Aconite_

 _Vanilla_

 _Molasses_

 _Belladonna: Leaves and Berries_

 _Tetrodotoxin_

 _Maple Syrup (Pure)_

 _Maple Syrup (Artificial)_

 _Cyanide_

 _Grenadine_

Lili paled. If this wasn't enough, next to the bottles, there was a row of gleaming knives, ranging in size and shape from a standard kitchen knife to a meat cleaver to a large, serrated bread worse, the kitchen knife had a little smear of red, the same shade as the dab on Oliver's head yesterday.

 _Please, please let that just be cherry juice._

"Are you here to help? Please, please be here to help!"

Lili turned, Standing behind her was something she had missed completely. A small girl, chained to the wall. Her skin was a light coffee color, and her wavy hair and eyes were a glossy black. She also wore a pink dress, but hers had a bow on the bosom, and it seemed to be made of silk. She wore no socks or shoes. She spoke with a faint british accent.

"W-who are you?"

"Gigi."

"Which country?"

The girl blushed. "S-Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It's really long, so most people just call me Gigi."

"Are you a second player?"

She nodded. "I'm under British Rule, that's why I'm here in the first place. He keeps me here, and..and...and..."

A tear rolled down her face and she looked at her arm. A series of small puncture marks ran along the length of her forearm, right along an artery.

"Three days ago, he came in. He usually only takes a little, but that day he took two times as much! It hurt like-" she paused, and Lili remembered how Oliver forbade swearing, "-heck, and when I asked why, he grinned like a Cheshire cat and said that it was for someone 'special'.."

She stopped when she saw how pale Lili had become.

"I take it he meant you?"

She nodded. "I'm Lili, a first player. He-" she swallowed. "He kidnapped me. From the world behind the mirror."

Gigi whistled. "Wow. He's done a lot of bad stuff in his time, but never take someone from the world Behind the Mirror. Tell me, has Roland assaulted you yet? With makeup, I mean.." She went a little pink in the cheeks. Lili chuckled. "Yes. While I was sleeping." Gigi laughed. "Yeah, he does do that. When he gets bored of practicing on styrofoam models, he comes down here and practices on me. I don't mind. It's a welcome change from getting my blood forcibly drawn."

They both laughed. Gigi had an easy laugh, and a warm smile.

"What's your first player like, Gigi?" Gigi frowned. "She has darker skin, brown hair. Brown eyes. She wears it in a bob." Gigi's hair was long and wavy. "She hates everyone, especially England. Unlike Oliver, he actually lets her run free, like Sealand."

Gigi's smile dropped. "I hate it here. Oliver feeds me, sure, but it's usually cupcakes or something sweet. I would _kill_ for a plate of pasta or something salty!" Her voice dropped. "But not from Luciano. He's Italy's second player. Rumor has it he makes pasta sauce out of blood." She shuddered. "Once Oliver brought him here for a visit, and they made dinner together, starring my blood." Gigi said bitterly, spitting out the words like a piece of bad fish.

"If you hate it so much, why don't you do something?"

"I tried. Oliver just giggled that _annoying_ laugh of his and said the day he let me go is the day my people voted for a new president instead of Queen Elizabeth. We needed to win by a two-thirds vote, but eventually we lost." Gigi said with a sigh. "It was hard."

She turned to Lili. "You best get out of here before-"

A whooshing sound was heard, followed by a thump.

"-before Roland comes down." muttered Gigi.

"Well, well, well! A sneaky mouse _and_ a prisoner! Today must be my lucky day!"

Roland stood triumphantly before them, hands on hips, his red tailcoat swishing from the recent inertia.

"Hello, Roland." Gigi murmured.

"Who should I make-over first? I brought the big box this time." He said to Gigi. "Oh, joy."

"I already did mouse today, so looks like it's Gigi's turn ✨"

He kneeled down and opened what looked like a big tackle box, except it was filled to the brim with tubes, sachets, brushes, and other miscellaneous items of torture. Looking carefully, Roland selected a bronze tube of something, some kind of brown eyeshadow thing, a burgundy powder, and a plum-colored, circular container.

"Don't use the pink lipstick this time. It makes my face look washed out." Gigi commented. "Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about." snapped Roland as he applied the creams and powders to her face. The bronze tube (which turned out to be foundation) matched her skin tone nicely, the eyeshadow complemented her eyes, the burgundy powder (blush) looked nice, and the plum colored container (lip gloss) set off the whole thing perfectly. Standing back to look at his handiwork, Roland smiled. "Burgundy is your color."

"Gee, thanks. Now I'm a fashion victim as well." Gigi remarked dryly. Roland turned around to face Lili, showing his shark-like teeth.

"Now, for little mouse here..."

Lili backed up as far as possible from Roland, squealing a little.

"I'm not going to _kill_ you," he remarked, rolling his eyes. "That's Oliver's job. How about we make a deal? I get to 'make over' that..lovely face..." He started panting a little until Gigi coughed sharply. Then he jumped, cleared his throat and began again. "...and I, in return won't tell Oliver you've been down here. Deal?"

"Or," said a new voice. "Oliver could find out himself."

 **Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! What's going to happen to Lili? I'll update soon, I promise, but don't expect anything!**


	6. Chapter 6: Busted!

Chapter 6: Busted!

"I'm ashamed of all three of you!" Oliver's face was bright red. "I tell you specifically not to go looking for the basement. I even tell Roland to stay on guard. And I find that instead of finding the basement, you find.." He gestured wildly. "This!"

"Wait...this isn't the basement?"

"No! The basement's entrance is in the garage. This.." He sighed. "This is special." He picked up Lili by the scruff of her neck and led her up three sets of stairs, Roland lagging behind, protesting madly. "It wasn't my fault...I just found her there...I checked the basement first...please don't kill me..."

When they reached her room, Oliver placed her on the bed and scolded her.

"I don't like being a meanie, but you're going to stay in your room for the rest of the day. I'll decide your punishment tomorrow." He sighed and placed his head in his hands. "I didn't want our first day to be like this..."

Closing the door, he said "I'll bring you food tonight, ok?" "O-ok..."

Oliver closed the door, shaking his head in sorrow and disgust.

...

"I just don't know what to do!" Oliver said, sitting at the dinner table. He was holding a glass of milk (beer is too uncouth) and talking to Roland. "I've tried to make her comfortable, but she just seems...scared..." Oliver took a gulp of milk. "I don't think I'll be able to punish her.." Roland sighed. "You know what? You're being too soft on her. You are a psychopathic murderer who bakes cupcakes out of human flesh, for g- pete's sake! I'm sure you can handle a little punishment." Oliver looked up. He had dark shadows under his eyes. "Y-yeah." Roland gave an evil smirk, with just a small glimmer of sharp teeth. "Look, why don't you go bake a batch of cupcakes. That always makes you feel better." Oliver shakily stood up, then proceeded to his bedroom.

" _No, please!"_

" _I'm sorry, poppet. You know I need my secret ingredient."_

 _Oliver inserted the needle into the shrieking girl's arm, pulling the syringe until the vial was filled with a crimson liquid that foamed and frothed. The girl screamed, and Oliver placed a finger over her lips._

" _Ssh. It'll all be over soon."_

 _The girl sobbed, and Oliver withdrew the syringe._

" _Weak. You're weak. No wonder you allowed yourself to be captured so easily." Oliver's eyes went pink, and he grinned, a white crescent akin to a Cheshire Cat._

 _..._

"H-hello? Poppet?"

Oliver opened the door to Lili's room. Lili was hiding under the blankets, shivering. Oliver lifted up the quilted pink blanket to find Lili in the fetal position.

"Oh, _poppet._ " Oliver sat down beside her, and stroked her hair. The gesture was comforting to Lili, but it was coming from a psychotic cannibal, so she curled up even tighter.

"It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you."

Oliver pulled her into his lap, and wrapped his arms around her, a kind gesture from parent to child.

"I want to take care of you. I promise I won't let any harm come to you." Lili switched into a sitting up position, leaning against Oliver and letting him warm her.

"Now, eat this and I'll forgive you, ok?" Oliver pushed a saucer in her lap.

On it was a cupcake.

Lili shrieked, but Oliver shushed her. "It's not poisoned, I promise." Lili took a bite, reassured, but the metallic tang reminded her of the secret ingredient.

Gigi's blood.

She screamed internally, and tried to spit it out, but Oliver placed his hand over her mouth.

"Come on, swallow. I worked hard to make this for you." Lili took a shaky breath, and swallowed the bite. She pushed the plate away, but Oliver just pushed it back. "The whole thing, poppet." Lili took one bite, and then another. It tasted metallic, like copper pennies, but sweeter and citrusy, like orange peel. She soon finished it, and regretted enjoying how it tasted.

"There we go, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Lili shed a single tear, and shook her head.

"I've got some business to take care of, poppet, but I'll bring you some more food at six o'clock, ok?"

"O-ok..."

Oliver shut the door, and immediately, his smile grew wider, and his eyes went pink. He had some business to take care of, all right.

...

"Roland, I want to keep her here. I really do."

"Well, if you want to keep her _here,_ then you must get rid of whatever pulls her back to the other side."

"You mean-"

"Yes. Switzerland."

"Do you think he'll willingly come with us?"

"If we say we know where she is, then yes. He doesn't know me, so I'll bring him through the mirror, and then you can take it from there."

"The mirror in the basement?"

"Yes. Go get the tools ready. Let's make it a night we'll never forget."

...

Roland grimaced. Mirror travel wasn't something he preferred, but it was necessary. Sometimes. The full length mirror in the basement was the best way, as it was his height, and was more preferable than the small mirror in Switzerland's room. He'd probably have to be a contortionist to squeeze through _that._ He took a deep breath.

Then he stepped through the mirror.

...

Switzerland was pacing. Lili wasn't in her room, hadn't gone anywhere with her friends, and wasn't with Arthur. She must have gone with Oliver.

"Excuse me?"

Switzerland jumped. Standing behind him was a man with shiny brown hair, small spectacles, a red tailcoat and a black tie clip thing. His skin was pale and his eyes were a glowing shade of red.

"I think I know where Lili might have gone."

...

Switzerland wasn't used to mirror travel. It felt like walking through plastic wrap. He emerged in a dimly lit room that smelled like metal.

"Sit here and I'll go get her." The man gestured to a chair, and, not being able to make out all the details, Vash blindly sat down. The man fiddled with something near the side of the chair, then disappeared up a set of stairs. He returned five minutes later with another shadowed figure,

"Lili?"

"No, not Lili," a cheerful British voice answered. "I don't think you'll ever see Lili again. Now let's have some fun, shall we?"

...

Vash started to get up out of the chair, but something held him back. "I think you'll find that we added some leather straps. You didn't notice a thing." The cheerful man flicked on the lights, revealing the first man, and a man with blond hair, pastel clothing, and eyes that were mostly pink. "Oh, geez. Mr. Cupcakes and I are here to _play."_

"Oliver Kirkland and Roland Edelstein, at your service." Vash frowned. "You." Oliver smiled, then turned his attention to a big wooden chest.

"Yes, me. Now, how shall we start?" Oliver fiddled with the lock a little more, then groaned in frustration. "I can't get this butterscotching lock to open!"

Roland smirked. "This is why I told you to get the tools out _before_ we got him in here. Let me do it." Roland pushed him out of the way and started fiddling with the key. In five seconds the lock popped off and the lid flipped up.

"I don't see why _you're_ so good at opening locks."

Roland ignored this statement. "What shall we start with?" Oliver looked in the box, smiled, and pulled out a small container full of acupuncture needles. Vash went pale. Acupuncture needles were a common type of therapy, but when applied carelessly...

Roland fingered one of the long pieces of metal. "These are...quite effective." He sauntered over to his victim and inserted the spiky end into his throat. It was painful, but Vash swallowed. _I will not let them see me scream._ Roland inserted another underneath his ear, next to his throat. "We'll be here for a long time." He chuckled. "Best make yourself comfortable."

Vash now payed more resemblance to a porcupine then a country. His body throbbed with pain, but he remained stoic, as to not let his captors get the better of him. Oliver smirked, and grabbed his jaw, forcing it upward. "Are you sure you're not in pain?" Vash tried to speak, but the pressure point near his jaw screeched, and he let out a pitiful whimper. Oliver smirked. "I thought so."

He walked over to the box of tools and grabbed a small black taser.

 _Electric pulse...metal in body...uh-oh._

"This will only hurt a little bit." Oliver whispered before he jabbed the taser into Vash's stomach.

...

Vash was panting. His stomach was wracked with pain, and it looked like he had been used as a lightning rod. Oliver was again working with the tool-box, and Roland was fiddling with a box and a pair of headphones near the bottom of the chair.

"Are you done with that yet, Roland?"

"Almost. Just need to adjust the speakers a little bit." Roland shot back, fitting the headphones over Vash's ears. "How far should I take the range?" "About 10,000 Hertz." "Why not higher?" "The human body can only withstand around 20,000 hertz." "He's not human." Roland smirked. "Ok, take it up to... 12,000." Vash struggled against his bonds, trying to wiggle one of his hands free so he could dislodge the headphones, but Roland had tied the straps too tight. "I'm clear." "Good. Take it up to... 6,000 Hertz." Roland pressed a green button, and Vash's ears were filled with a horrible screeching sound. It felt like his brain was vibrating in his skull. "It's not affecting him. Take it to 7,000." The screeching intensified. Vash bit his lip to keep from screaming.

"Take it up to 10,000."

Vash screamed. The sound was everywhere now, screeching like nails on a chalkboard. Vash felt like his brain was about to explode.

"11,000." The sound escalated, and Vash did all he could to withstand it. He didn't notice it, but he had bitten down on his lip so hard that his teeth had cut clean through. "Take it up to 12,000." Roland smiled, and Vash passed out.

"Aww, he blacked out." Oliver tiptoed over and poked Vash in the head. He did not respond. "Take him to the adjoining room and lock him in. We'll finish playing tomorrow."

 **SWITZERLAND nnnuuuuuuuuuu... I'm sorry I had to.**


	7. Chapter 7: Playtime's Over

Chapter 7: Playtime's Over

Vash awoke in a white room. The walls had some kind of red liquid spattered over them, and Vash was worried it had come from him. He tried to stand up, but his head started ringing and he had to sit down. The door opened, and Oliver stepped out, holding a cupcake and a glass of water.

"Here you go, old chap." Vash was too hungry to question and he wolfed down the water... only it wasn't water. There was something in it that cut his throat..and then...the agony... Oliver was smirking.

"I didn't think you would have such a strong attraction to vinegar mixed with broken glass." Vash whimpered. The glass was slowly cutting his own throat, and the vinegar burned the open wounds.

"Eat this, It'll make you feel better." Vash looked into Oliver's eyes, loathing this prick.

"I will never eat one of your goddamn cupcakes."

"That's nice." Oliver chuckled, setting down the cupcake on the floor. "Maybe you'll be more tempted after you don't get any food for a week." Oliver stepped out and closed the door, laughing.

Vash collapsed, shaking. He felt like sh** now and he knew it was only going to get worse.

...

"Lili? I brought you some pasta. Don't worry, I made the sauce." Oliver said, chuckling silently to himself. Lili silently took the plate of pasta and started eating. It had none of the metallic tang, so that was good. "It's good." "Thank you."

"Oliver?"

"Yes, poppet?"

"Could I go and play with Gigi sometimes? I miss having friends my own age.."

She was starting to tear up. Oliver's heart melted.

"S-sure... If that's what you'd prefer.." Lili smiled. "Thanks, Oliver."

Oliver started to leave, but he had one more thing to say. "I have guests coming over tomorrow, poppet. Try to stay in your room, will you? I don't want them to get...involved...especially Francois."

 _Francois? Probably second player France..._

"Sure.."

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

Oliver closed the door, sighing. He was worried about the meeting tomorrow, but at least he would get to torture Vash some more. That kind of thing always helped in taking his mind off of other things.

That, and baking.

"Roland? I'm going down to play with Vash some more. Do you want to help?"

"Nah, I'm mixing up a new toy for us. I'll play later."

Oliver shrugged. "Suit yourself." He headed upstairs to Roland's room. _Honestly, some people just don't know how to look._

 _..._

Vash was quivering. His stomach felt, already, like it was already trying to digest itself. It hadn't even been an hour yet...he hadn't had lunch..when he was still in the first player world. No food for three hours then.. and one hour now...added up to _quite a lot of hunger._ The cupcake was starting to look weirdly tempting.

"Hello? Vash?" Oliver was opening the door, smirking. Vash would run up and smack that stupid smile off of his face, but he was too weak to move.

"I brought you some pasta."

Too hungry to mistrust the offer, Vash went and almost smacked the plate out of Oliver's hands. Even though he was as starving as heck, he still managed to look dignified as he brought the fork to his mouth. It tasted foul. The pasta was a little undercooked, and some of the strands crunched. The sauce had some kind of secret ingredient. It wasn't tomatoes, or basil... what could it be? He looked up at Oliver. He was giggling like a small child with a new toy.

"Like it? Luciano made that for you especially." Switzerland lifted another forkful to his mouth. Oliver was all the way in now, and he was standing above Vash, looming over him like a giant, smartly dressed titan.

"It's a pity how he uses blood in the sauce."

Vash slowly stopped chewing. The sauce had a metallic taste, and in five seconds, he tried to spit it out. Oliver placed one hand over his lips and one hand on his neck. "Aw, that's not very dignified, Vash! What would Austria say?"

"He'd say that this idiot is a loser and a weakling." Roland was leaning in the doorway, chewing a toothpick and smirking. Vash frowned, but the subtle pressure Oliver was applying made it impossible to spit the bloody mass out. He swallowed and grimaced. "Now now, that wasn't so bad, was it? You were wolfing it down before I told you the secret ingredient." Oliver twirled the pasta around on the fork before stuffing it in Vash's mouth before he even had time to react. It was even worse now that it was being force-fed to him, and he just swallowed as much as possible before the taste got to him. Before he knew it, he had tomato sauce all over his face, and his mouth tasted like it had been rinsed in blood, then washed out with day-old tomato paste. He almost vomited, but suppressed the urge when he saw Oliver giggling.

"Aw, does little Vash need his mouth wiped off?" Roland approached, withdrew a silk handkerchief, and wiped off Vash's face. "That's not very dignified!" Vash just scowled. Oliver withdrew the plate, and picked up the cupcake, taking a bite. Leaving the room, he turned and said one last line that made Vash fume and curse his own stubbornness.

"By the way, Vash, the cupcake wasn't poisoned. We wanted to see how far you'd resist out of your own pride."

...

"Why don't we just kill him?" Roland moaned as they left the chamber. "Simply put, opposites need each other to exist. If we kill _him,_ our Switzerland dies too. And we can't let that happen. Also, Lili would be devastated." "She already will be devastated." Oliver stopped in his tracks. "I don't like to think about that." He kept walking, this time with a ferocity Roland had never seen the psychotic baker emit. "Oliver? You ok, dude?" "I...I'm fine." "You sure?" Oliver whipped around, eyes wide and pink. "I want her to stay, Roland. I want her to stay here...forever."

...

Lili was scared now, admittedly. Oliver hadn't come up to check on her for... a while. She lost track. She cracked open her door a little and waited at the top of the stairs, her knees leaving imprints in the pink shag carpet.

"Oliver?"

No answer. She heard rustling downstairs, but she could hear everything fairly well, so she decided to stay put.

"I see you decided to move the swear jar to the table this time, Oliver." a rough voice remarked with a boisterous air. "That's right, I did," Oliver remarked suavely, "Because you all seem to have a severe case of potty mouth I cannot cure, even with my special anesthesia-laced pastries." "Yeah, those just made us all numb and unable to do anything _except_ speak!" Loud laughter proceeded with this remark.

"Cut to the chase, Oliver." remarked a smooth, italian accented voice. "Why have you gathered us all here today?" There was a thud of something hitting wood, _a table_ , Lili thought, and "I don't like to go places without a reason." A _shhhiik_ sound, more clattering, and then, "And it has to be a _really good reason._ " Lili could hear a sort of strangled yelp. A french accent remarked "Luciano, please remove yourself from Oliver's back before your knife cuts clean through his neck." A chill went down Lili's spine, and she swallowed. "Geez, Luci, you keep your knives _sharp._ " The American accented one remarked, with a lazy air. A _whizz_ cut through the air, and then " _Don't_ call me Luci again if you value your life as well as your hair." A thunk was heard, and then a trembling voice answered 'W-we're here today for our annual meeting, like always." "Right, right. I forgot."

"Say, why isn't Germany here?" a Japanese accented voice commented. A small chuckle was heard and then "Lutz has a very...important appointment." "Yeah, with about a dozen different insect species." remarked the American. Another round of chuckling. "Don't worry, he'll be fine by tomorrow." "G-good. Anyway, I've got him. He's in the basement." "Good, good. Shall we have a little playdate tomorrow?" "Yes. The point is to incapacitate him beyond repair, because if we kill him, then Voss will die too." A soft smatter of laughter was heard, then "Well then, we'll just have to show him there are fates worse than death, shall we?" Lili went pale. _Who is 'him?'_ "Meeting adjourned. You're welcome to join me in the kitchen for cupcakes if you'd like. Just let me get my poppet. You're going to _love her!_ " Lili gulped and raced to her bedroom as fast as her little legs would carry her. By what she heard, she would be lucky to escape alive with this information.

...

"So, this is Lili! She's from the world of our first players. Lili, this is Allen, Francois, Viktor, Kuro, and...Luciano." Lili looked around the kitchen. Five people were looking at her expectantly, not including Roland or Oliver. One had darkish skin, red hair, a brown bomber jacket, and aviator glasses. Another had hair so long it was considered scruffy, stubble all over his chin, a cigarette in his mouth, and a purple silk shirt. He was looking at her greedily, like a toy or a succulent dessert. Viktor had red hair too, and he was wearing a long black coat, a red scarf, and a stoic expression. Kuro had short black hair, pitch black eyes, and a short sleeve shirt and black pants, showing off the tattoos that covered his arms. "O-oh...hi..." "Is zis the little mouse I've been hearing about?" "Yes, Francois." "She's very pretty." Kuro smiled, a wide grin akin to a shark. " _Very_ pretty." Oliver put his arms around her protectively. "Leave her alone, you hentai drawing pervert." Allen cracked a grin. "Nice to meet ya, doll face." "Now sit down and have a cupcake. We've got a lot to talk about."

 **I give credit to the author of Game of Mirrors for the glass in the burning acid substance trick. I take no credit for that. Here is her profile:** **u/4409854/Patient-Harmony**


	8. Chapter 8: Sharp Objects are Sharp

Chapter 8: Beware: Sharp Objects Are Sharper Than You Think

"Oh, _Vash!"_ Oliver opened the door slowly. Placating Lili to go to her room for the rest of the night was hard, so he wanted to make this count. Vash looked up, his face pale from vomiting. Oliver noticed the red mass on the floor, and he cringed, "Yuck! Vash, what have you been doing?" He stepped around the blood and yanked Vash by the arm. To his surprise, he complied. "We're going to get you cleaned up. Come on." Willingly, Vash walked out of the room and into the nearest chair. He knew it was _the_ chair, but he didn't argue. He felt like shit after forcing his stomach to relieve itself of all the blood, and we wasn't sure what had happened after that. Oliver gently wiped his mouth with a silk handkerchief while Roland tightened the straps. "Are you feeling better?" Obviously, he was, because now Oliver had blood all over his clothing and Vash was smirking. Oliver gaped. "DId you just...Oh my god. ROLAND!" "Wha?" Roland was grumpy because Luciano had dissed his makeup skills earlier. "Vash just spit blood all over my new sweater vest!" "Go upstairs and get a new one, Oliver. You spend too much time on your clothing. You're like Flavio, in a way."

" _My ears are burning~"_

A stylishly dressed man with pink sunglasses, a white suit, and a blue ascot stepped into the room, designer boots clacking on the hard cement floor. "I brought our little special somebody for the playdate tonight." He threw somebody next to the Chair with surprising strength. He had a scar on his cheek and wore old army fatigues. Oliver curled his lip. "Hello, Lutz." "Oliver." The man said in a thick german accent, rubbing his head and standing up. "I trust you were a little sidetracked today?" "Ja. Luciano and his cronies locked me in a room with about two dozen types of spiders." "Ouch." Oliver smiled mockingly. "I hope you weren't too scared, Lutz." Lutz brushed himself off. "Maybe a little." Hurriedly changing the subject, he said "So what's on your shirt?" Now it was Oliver's turn to blush. "V-Vash spit blood all over it. It'll be hell to get out." "Oh, I know _just_ how you feel!" Flavio swept over and swung his arm around Oliver, who picked it off with two fingers, gingerly. "I brought some spare clothes with me. They're in the kitchen." Oliver left immediately.

"So, shall we start?"

Roland lifted up Vash's arms. "What are we supposed to do with _this?"_

"I think I may have a suggestion."

Luciano walked in the room, slipping on a pair of fine cotton gloves.

"Oliver, do you still have the extra large dartboard?" Roland grinned. "Yep. I'll just dig it out."

Five minutes later, a large, rotating bulls-eye was set up in the southeast corner of the basement.

"Set him up and we'll get started."

...

"Who wants to go first?"

Vash was fully awake now, and he did not like what he saw. He was forced into a standing up position and was apparently strapped to a large target. Luciano was fingering a knife, slipping the handle in between his gloved fingertips.

"Nobody? Ok, I'll go first." He took waim, sizing up the target, and Vash got a clear idea of what they were doing when he felt the blade slam into the target, two inches from his head.

"Aw, I missed." Luciano smirked as he walked to retrieve the knife. He placed his hand over Vash's chest, using it as leverage to withdraw the knife from the target.

"Oliver, you want to go next?" "Sure, sure." Oliver withdrew his own knife, the hilt sparkling pink (because... Oliver) and the blade sharpened to a keen point.

"Should I give him a trim?"

"Sure, take a little off the sides."

Oliver smiled and walked to his place at the target. "Hold your breath, poppet."

The knife slammed into the target, a mere inch from the side of his ear. Blood dripped slowly, as well as several long blond strands.

"Kuro, take a little off the right side to even it up."

"With pleasure." The Japanese man flung the knife sideways and managed to nick Vash's ear as well as sever a whole chunk of hair.

"Good enough. Anybody else want a turn?"

"I will." Viktor withdrew the longest knife yet, a whole seven inches of cold steel.

"Viktor, you sure that's a good idea-"

"Shut up." He took aim, and flung the knife right in between Vash's arm and head.

"I missed."

"Yep. Yep you did. Now go and stand at the back of the line."

"Sure." Viktor was a man of few words. And those words included: "Kill," "Maim," and "Steel pipe."

"Sure." Viktor walked slowly to the dartboard. "When I get out of here, I'm going to destroy you all." Vash grimaced. Viktor smiled, a rare occurrence. "I'd like to see you try," He pressed the flat of the blade against Vash's throat. " _Vash._ " He walked away slowly, his leather boots thumping on the cement floor.

"Francois, your go."

Francois withdrew a five-inch long knife, the hilt coated in a soft, pinkish leather. Allen nudged him with his elbow. "Dude, dude...aim for the crotch." Francois grinned, took aim, and threw the knife with two fingers. It landed with precise skill in between Vash's legs, one inch away from the crotch area.

Vash flinched.

Luciano laughed. "Behold, the great Switzerland, who shoots first, asks questions later!" This set all the second players into a laughing fit. Allen and Roland laughed in great guffaws, while Kuro had a silent, shaking laugh. Lutz merely chuckled, whilst Oliver giggled. Francois, Viktor, and Luciano had a mocking laugh, and Flavio somehow was able to laugh stylishly. Vash clenched his teeth, his cheeks growing red. Oliver smiled, and sauntered over to the dartboard. "Aw, is somebody feeling embarrassed?" He withdrew his own knife from the dartboard and drew it, softly and precisely, around Vash's throat, creating a red line. "Be lucky we don't kill you."

"I hate every single one of you and what you have done to me."

"That's lovely. Shut up." The other second players were converged in a huddle over Flavio, who seemed to be mixing several ingredients together. "What are you making, Flavi?" Flavio tipped the dark mixture into a syringe and tapped it to dislodge an air bubble. "Just a little something to keep our guest happy." Oliver put his nose to the vial. It smelled thick and bitter. "Curare? Nice." Flavio smiled. "I'm an expert with plant poisons. This was originally used by South American indigenous people as a paralyzing toxin." Luciano scoffed. "Wow, Flavi said something smart? And here was me thinking that your brain was on textiles 24/7."

'Flavi' scowled. "I have brains, you know." "True, but you never use them." "Hey, you walked right in to that one."

"Whatever." Flavio handed the vial to Oliver, who walked over to Vash and rolled up one of his sleeves. Pressing the vial to one of the veins, he injected the liquid into his arm. Vash didn't feel anything strange, but he decided not to do anything about it. They might do something worse if he said nothing happened. Oliver did the same thing to his other arm, his torso, and both legs. The needle hurt, but it wasn't as bad as Oliver's sharpened nails pressing into his arm, holding it steady. Oliver had about ¼ of an inch of liquid left in the syringe, so Vash thought he was done. But Oliver grabbed him by the chin, his finely manicured nails digging into the skin and drawing blood. He gently pressed the syringe into Vash's lips, injecting the last of the toxin. "That's to prevent you screaming." Vash tried to say something, but Oliver just held a finger to his lips. "Good boy." Oliver released the chains, and Vash flopped to the floor like a limp rag doll, too shocked to move. Viktor scooped him up in both arms and dumped him unceremoniously in the chair, fussing with the straps. "The poison will wear off in...two hours." "But nothing's happening, Flavi!" "Wait, Francois. All good things to those who wait."

...

Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, Vash attempted to struggle, since all they were doing was staring at him and talking. He attempted to strain against his bonds, but his arms and legs wouldn't cooperate. He tried to strain using his chest, but it felt like somebody had filled his body with cold steel.

He didn't even bother trying to scream.

Oliver smiled. "Now we don't need to worry about you cooperating or talking while Roland plays with you."

 _Oh, ****._

Roland emerged from the crowd of evildoers, wearing a white apron and twirling a paintbrush in between his fingers. Another unknown figure staggered behind him, holding what looked like a large tackle box. He dropped at Roland's feet and wiped sweat from his brow. "Geez, Roland. What do you put in that thing, bricks?" Roland ignored that statement and flipped open the catch of the box. The inside seemed to glow with a white light. He rooted inside the box and withdrew several small pots, jars, and creams. "What's so torturous about this?" Luciano chuckled. "I mean, a bad makeover is _bad,_ not _torturous."_ Roland smirked. "I did a little researching."

He held up one of the white pots. "White lead and vinegar." He held up a different jar. "Mercury, red lead, and minium." "What's _minium_?" "Used to manufacture batteries and rust proof paint." Another, black cream. "Lead and coal tar." Blue cream. "Arsenic." Another white jar. "Carbolic acid and mercuric chloride." He put down the jar and faced Luciano. "All of these are powerful corrosives." He pulled on a pair of white gloves to rival Luciano's and dipped his finger into the jar labeled _Carbolic Acid_. . He walked over to Luciano and carefully dabbed the white cream on his cheek, and Luciano screamed, for the paint burned like acid. Roland smirked.

"Would you like to test me, Luci?"

He turned his attention back to Vash, whose eyes were wide with fear. When Luciano removed the paint, the flesh there was red and raw.

"You are going to look _so_ fabulous when I'm done with you."

 **Oh dear, Vash. I feel sorry for you! Extra big thanks and cupcakes all around for** FireFox Vixen **and** Lovesbugsalot **!**


	9. Chapter 9: Frosting is to Hide the Cake

Chapter 9: The Frosting Exists to Hide the Cake

"Hmm. Luciano, should I use the blue eyeshadow, or the black?" Luciano looked over Vash's fair complexion, grabbing his chin forcefully and jerking it this way and that. "Use the coal tar for eyeliner, and use the arsenic mixture for eyeshadow." "Great idea!" Roland dipped his paintbrush in the first white pot, then the other, swirling the two lethal substances together with a flick of the brush. "First rule of basic makeup skills. Take note, boys." Roland gestured to the white coated brush. "Always start with a white undercoat." He gently stroked the brush tip across Vash's cheek, leaving a white contrail. The paint felt like fire was burning his skin, searing into his cheek and stabbing into the tender flesh, leaving it pockmarked and raw. He wanted to scream, but he was still under the effects of the poison, so he couldn't move. He felt like raw fury was bottling up inside him, like hot lava. Roland continued moving the brush up and down his cheeks, spreading the acidic substance around Vash's face. Once Roland was done, Vash looked like he was wearing a white mask, like a porcelain doll. "Step two. Paint on the eyeshadow and apply eyeliner." Roland unscrewed the top of the blue cream and tenderly dipped in the brush, mixing the shades of white and blue to create a lovely shade of cerulean. He carefully applied the creamy torture device to Vash's eyelids, highlighting the contours of the eye and blending for a splendid finish. Roland did have skill, nobody could deny that. Vash's eyes felt like they were going to explode, it hurt so much.

"Apply eyeliner gently and with a light hand. Nothing is worse than gloppy eyeliner." Roland drew a small, pointed brush and dipped it into the coal tar. "Close your eyes, Vash." Vash did the opposite, opening his eyes so wide his eyelids disappeared. "Let me rephrase. Close your goddamn eyes or I will stick the brush in your eye and paint that."

Vash closed his eyes.

He felt a light pressure across his eyelids, then the familiar burning sensation. _Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh..._ Vash sighed internally. This place was getting to him, he couldn't even swear anymore without seeing Oliver's grinning face and hearing the words "Swear jar~" Roland smirked. "You poor baby."

~~~Uh-oh~~~

Lili was bored. She saw the second players going into Roland's room, and they still hadn't emerged. _I don't know what to do with myself. I might as well go do something for Oliver and the others, maybe make them tea or something._

~~~Cupcakes~~~

Vash felt a slight awakening in his lips. He decided to hide it, not knowing what they would do to him. Roland smiled. "Finally, add the lipstick. Preferably in a bow shape. It adds grace," He reached into his pocket and withdrew the tiniest brush of all. He swirled the black handled brush in the red mixture and dotted the mixture on Vash's unmoving lips. "And...viola! One _beautiful_ model." Roland packed his mixtures into the tackle box and moved away to let the others mock... I mean admire Vash's beautiful face. Luiano bent down to face the furious nation. "Ah, you look gorgeous. Pained and angry, but gorgeous." Vash's face was slowly glowing red beneath the paint. "Lookit, he's blushing. He must really like the attention, Luciano." Luciano turned cherry red and grabbed Allen by the throat. "You idiot."

" _Oliver? I brought you some tea..._ "

All of the second players turned around to see a small girl in a white nightgown staring at them. She carried a tray in her frail arms with seven teacups and a jar each of cream and sugar. She screamed when she saw the weary figure in the chair. The tray clattered to the floor.

" _ **Big brother?"**_

She ran to Vash and cradled his chin in her hands, screaming when the cyanide burned her skin.

" _What did you do to him?! You monsters!"_

She stroked his hair and saw the uneven fragments. She noted all the scars all over his body. She saw the blood all over his shirt. Bursting into tears, she ran to Oliver and started to pound on his chest with her fists.

" _I hate you! Why would you do this?"_

She ran to Vash and whispered something into his ear, her words being choked by tears. Oliver looked stunned. Lili hit him one final time and ran up the stairs to her bedroom, sobbing. All the others backed away slowly from Oliver. They could tell what was about to happen, and it was _not_ going to be pretty.

 _Ssssssnap._

Oliver turned toward Vash slowly. He was twitching softly, and his eyes were slowly filling with pink. He was fingering his knife, and his smile was growing to the size of a Cheshire cat's. He ran to Vash and jerked his chin up, almost breaking his neck. He was breathing heavily.

" _You just made me very, very angry, Vash."_

He dug his fingertips into Vash's chin. The cyanide seemed to have no effect on him, maybe because he had so much of it in his bloodstream.

" _Do you know what happens when I'm angry?"_

He pressed even harder, drawing blood and staining his perfect fingertips with red.

" _It's not pretty."_

He released Vash and walked away.

" _Do what you like with him."_

Vash watched as the second players surrounded him. A wall of vicious, snarling nations, cracking their knuckles and fingering weapons. Luciano smirked.

"Dear, oh dear, it looks like you've gotten us angry too."

~~~Dun Dun Dun~~~

Lili sobbed on her bed, weeping openly. They had big brother, and they were torturing him. How could Oliver do this? She thought he wouldn't stoop that low. That was one of the things keeping her here, knowing that Big Brother was safe, over on the other side. She heard a knock on the door.

" _Lili? Come on out, poppet!"_

"Go away, Oliver!"

" _I'm afraid I can't do that. You and I have a score to settle."_

The doorknob clicked, and a dark figure stepped into the room. Lili could see his eyes were full of pink swirls.

" _Come here, poppet. I don't want to hurt you."_

Lili pressed herself up against the edge of the bed. The figure drew closer.

" _Come on, poppet. I don't want to have to use my knife."_

Lili drew even farther back. The figure withdrew a metal object, the faint hallway light glinting off the blade. He stepped even closer. Lili sighed. There was only one way out of this. She resigned herself to walking towards the figure. He enfolded her in his arms, slowly stroking the flat of the knife blade along her neck. He smelled comforting, like warm pastry.

" _I'm not going to hurt you...much. I promise."_

There was a pricking sensation at the back of her neck, and Lili screamed. Then she slumped.

Oliver scooped the unconscious figure up into his arms. He would bring her to the basement, yes. But he wouldn't torture her, no, she was too precious for that. But she had been a bad girl. And bad girls must be punished.

~~~The Basement is not a nice place~~~

Lili woke up in a white room. Looking around, she could see it was padded, and there was a sticky red substance on the floor and walls. She tried not to wonder if it had come from big brother.

Speaking of big brother...

An huddled figure had been kicked into one corner of the room, bloodied and beaten. Lili rushed to him, and she almost vomited.

Vash's face was now free of makeup, but it was puffy and bruised beyond recognition. He had two black eyes, his lips were bloody, and his nose was broken. His face and body were perforated with tiny indents (" _they look like nail marks"_ Lili thought) and almost every inch of his body was black and blue, or dark with bruises. There was blood all down the front of his clothes, and his hair was matted and bloodstained.

"Big _bruder..._ "

Vash tried to speak, but coughed up a large amount of blood instead. Lili cradled his head in her lap and stroked his hair gingerly. Tears ran down her cheeks and fell onto Vash's chest.

"Big _bruder.._ oh..."

The door creaked open, and standing there was Oliver, Francois, Luciano, and Allen. Luciano was pulling on another pair of white gloves and chuckling silently. Francois was smoking another filthy cigarette, blowing the smoke out in a soft grey spiral. Allen hefted his nail spiked-baseball bat and grinned, showing a missing incisor. As for Oliver...well, let's just say he didn't look any less crazy. His eyes were still mainly pink, but he appeared to have calmed down somewhat.

"Hey, doll face." Lili narrowed her eyes. " _You."_

"Last time I checked, none of us was named You. Evil, yes. Slightly psychotic, definitely. But never You."

"Vash called me You once." Oliver added.

Francois growled. " _Anyways,_ on the less insane and psychotic side, we've come to take Vash for another playtime session." Lili threw herself over Vash's bleeding body.

"I won't let you take him!"

Luciano grinned. He walked over to Lili and placed his arms on her shoulders. His hands were firm, and Lili felt herself being thrown sideways. She shrieked, but Oliver just tsked.

"You do know that screaming will only cause him more pain, right poppet? You don't want to do that to your dear brother…"

Lili just sat there and cried as the four nations dragged her big brother out of the room by his hands. She threw her hands against the door and pounded her fists, but it didn't change anything. As Luciano closed the door, she could hear him singing under his breath.

" _The basement, the basement, the basement is not a very nice place..."_


	10. Chapter 10: I'm Sorry

Chapter 10: Do You Really Think We're Going To Let You Go?

Lili watched as the second players took her brother and tossed him onto the floor like a sack of potatoes. Very red and battered potatoes. _Doitsu_ , Lili thought subconsciously and grinned in spite of her current predicament. They were setting up a huge, wooden, wall like structure, with straps on the top and bottom. Lili recognized it as the torture device known as a rack and she shuddered. Why did big brother have to go through this? He was looking better, though. The swelling had gone down a lot, but he still had two black eyes and bruises. He was conscious now, however, and he was shackled. Before they started, Flavio interjected and gestured to Vash on the floor. She could see the second players groan and nod, and Flavio shoved Vash off the floor and up the stairs. After five minutes, it was clear nothing was going to happen for a while, and Lili turned away from the window. They had given her a small sketchbook, and she decided to draw for a few minutes. She sketched designs of dresses, cupcakes, and small animals. After sketching a design for a particularly detailed skirt, she heard a thump on the floor.

Lili rushed to the window and saw her brother standing there, but there were some major differences. He was wearing a pair of flexible slacks and a stylish short sleeved black shirt. The collar was neatly folded, and the shirt was cotton. Flavio had apparently convinced (a word that here means: 'threatened') him to let him cut all the blood out of his hair, leaving it in messy short style about the length of Arthur's hair. He wore a pair of black converse, and his cheeks were tomato red. Oliver grinned and said some kind of scathing remark that made Vash's cheeks burn even brighter, about the shade of a cherry jelly-bean.

Oliver forced him towards the rack and pushed him into the straps, tightening them lightning quick before he even had a chance to struggle. Two around his arms, two around his legs, and one around his neck. Oliver whispered something into Vash's ear that made Vash scowl and made him yell something that was faintly audible.

" _Don't you...think...her!"_

Lili felt a chill travel down her spine. She noticed that Luciano was heading to the door, so she dropped and picked up her sketchbook.

" _Piccola ragazza,_ Oliver wants to see you." Lili stood up and brushed non-existent crumbs off her skirt. Luciano started picking his fingernails with his knife.

"Let's try to be quicker, _bambina,_ or Oliver might use Big Bruder for target practice." Lili tried to rush out of the room, but was stopped by Allen, who grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground. The concrete rushed to meet her, and she slammed to the floor. She landed on her cheek, which immediately turned red and started to swell. She looked up and saw Allen standing above her, smirking, and she uttered the first "bad-bad" word she had ever said.

"Dick."

Oliver tutted. "That's not a nice word, poppet." He pulled her up, none too gently, and pushed her toward the wall, where he held her there with the palm of his hand.

"Apologize."

Lili gritted her teeth. Gone was the happy man who made her cupcakes and cuddled her when she was sad. In his place was a cold blooded, psychopathic killer.

"N-never." Oliver increased the amount of force he was applying to the small of her back.

"I said _apologize."_

Lili worked up the nerve to be sarcastic, something she thought she would never do. "It's kinda hard to talk when you're pressing my mouth against the wall." Oliver moved his other hand to the top of her head and pushed. She fell, dragging her cheek against the wall and grazing it badly. Oliver placed his foot on her stomach, forcing her to look up at him. His eyes were once again filled with pink, yet he wasn't grinning.

"Apologize, or big _bruder_ here gets used as my personal dartboard." Lili choked up, a force filling her throat, threatening to make her burst into tears.

"S-sorry."

Oliver removed his foot, and Lili slumped to the floor. Her cheek was red and starting to bleed. Her white nightgown, which was already dirty, now had a large footprint on the stomach. Oliver looked her up and down with a glimmer of pity in his eyes. But that pity quickly turned to disgust, and he barked, "Flavio!" "Yes, Ollie?" Oliver's eye twitched. "Don't call me that." He gestured to the slumped figure on the floor. "Take her upstairs. Give her a shower, and get her some clean clothes. Maybe that dress" "Sure. Come on, _piccola ragazza."_ Flavio jerked her off the floor and tugged her towards the stairs. Lili complied, since it meant that she would get to clean up a little. She hadn't been given clean clothes or a shower since yesterday. She also needed to dress the wound she had been given by Oliver. Her eyes burned as she was led up the stairs, threatening to spill over with tears.

~~~Betrayal~~~

Lili was shown, not forced, into the shower by Flavio, who seemed a little more decent than the rest of the second players.

"Try not to take too long, or Oliver might get mad again. I'll have clean clothes waiting for you when you finish. Don't try to escape or anything, okay?" He winked at her and left the bathroom. Lili undressed and stepped into the shower.

~~~This part of the story is skipped for what I hope is an obvious reason~~~

Lili stepped out of the shower and pulled on the pink bathrobe that was waiting for her. Her hair was tangled and messy, though less than when she had long hair. She felt a lot better now. Flavio was waiting outside the door. He handed her a small bundle of clothing and said, "Go get changed. I'll be waiting." Lili stepped back into the bathroom and pulled on the clothing, a black doll-collared dress with a white sash and trim. When she finished, Flavio let out a little cry.

"You look _adorable!_ Now let me brush your hair out, so you can look even _more_ adorable!"

Lili shook her head hurriedly. Flavio smiled, and suddenly he was behind her, holding a knife to her throat.

"I _said,_ let me brush your hair out!"

Lili sighed, and nodded. Flavio removed the knife and brought her a chair. It was actually kind of peaceful, having your hair brushed by a psychopathic murderer, but she was tense the whole time. Flavio slowly moved the brush through her golden hair, detangling knots and unknotting tangles. He was clearly experienced with this sort of thing, which made Lili wonder; _Did he do this to all his victims?_

"And, the final touch." Flavio carefully and expertly tied a black ribbon in Lili's hair, completing the transformation.

"Now, come on. Oliver's waiting."

~~~A Nation's Healing Power~~~

Oliver carefully stroked the point of the blade around Vash's throat.

"Such white skin, such unmarked flesh... how did it get this way? You were battered and bruised beyond belief yesterday..." Oliver thought to himself.

"Aah... I forgot to take into consideration a nation's healing power. Look, your black eye's gone too. Well, one of them, anyway." Oliver giggled to himself.

"If external injuries heal within a day, I wonder if internal injuries heal faster...or slower."

Oliver turned to Vash.

"I want to keep you silent for just a little while longer." Oliver sliced the blade into Vash's throat, creating a large cut where his vocal chords were located.

"Let's take care of these, shall we?"

~~~Ashes, ashes, they all fell down~~~

Lili slowly descended the steps to the basement, with Flavio right behind her.

"Oliver? I'm here."

Oliver dropped the knife and walked slowly to Lili, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"You look adorable!" He giggled, and for a moment, the old Oliver was back. But then, the look in his eyes vanished, replaced by a hunger that Lili had never seen in his eyes before. She felt Oliver's fingernails digging into her shoulders.

"I've got something _very_ special planned out for you!" He grabbed Lili forcibly by the hand and dragged her towards a long wooden table. Scooping her up like one would a puppy, he laid her on the table and fastened leather straps around her neck, arms, and legs. Lili was forced to look up, and she could see a large bucket, with a small hole in it. Water was slowly dripping through the hole, and she watched helplessly and the first drop fell and landed with a barely audible _plock_ on her forehead.

"My dear friend Wang Zao taught me this one!" Lili gulped.

"C-chinese water torture?"

"Yep! Supposed to drive the unwary victim insane, albeit slowly. But I can wait. I will wait." He turned toward Vash again and picked up the knife.

"Let's get back to those pesky vocal chords."

Lili realized with horror what he was about to do, and she screamed.

"No! That's disgusting!"

"It's necessary for silencing your _bruder,_ Lili." Oliver re-opened the cut at the nape of Vash's neck, which was already beginning to close a little bit, and located the vocal flaps.

"This will keep you good and quiet." Oliver giggled, and he slashed the vocal chords. The pain was unbearable, and Vash would have screamed, but he was silent. He couldn't speak even if he wanted to.

"Oh, come now, Vash. They'll knit together by, oh, maybe, tomorrow evening? In the meantime, we're going to have so much _fun together."_ Oliver smiled, and pinched Vash's cheek.

Another drop of water fell onto Lili's forehead.

 _Alright. If I don't stop this, I might go insane. Then I'll be twins with Oliver._ Lili closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. She drowned out Oliver's insane giggling and Vash's strangled gasping. She tuned out the casual dripping of the water on her forehead, and the steady _plock_ of Vash's blood dripping down his chin. She tuned out the casual chuckling of Francois, and Allen and Luciano arguing.

A single drop fell on her forehead and ran down her cheek. Lili didn't notice.

~~~('-')~~~

It had been a while when Oliver finally undid the straps and helped her down off the table. Lili felt groggy, as if she had been asleep for a few hours. Then again, she probably had.

"Do you feel any different, poppet?"

"Nope." Oliver tossed her back into the little white room. Vash was already there, and he was breathing (thank god). Lili rubbed her cheek and turned over.

'Why do you do this to us? Why can't you just let us go?" Oliver started breathing heavily. He walked toward her and started deep into her eyes.

"I broke the ancient laws to bring you here. I planned for ages. I cast spells. I put up with Roland for three years. Do you really think I'm going to let you go?" He turned and walked out of the room, shaking. Lili could see he was crying.

"Oliver?" He turned.

"I'm sorry."

Oliver smiled.

"What a pity. If only I was, too."

 **I am a worthless human being. R and R please!**


	11. Chapter 11: Escape is Futile

Chapter 11: Escape is Futile

Lili paced around the small confines of her cell. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this. Vash's vocal chords were slowly healing, though not as fast as she would have liked. She threw herself pitifully onto the floor, tears running down her cheeks.

 _I'm sorry, big bruder. I don't know how to get out of this one._

She sat there for a while, weeping quietly, contemplating the gravity of the situation. She was only interrupted by Luciano pushing a plate of pancakes through a slot in the door around 2 inches tall.

"Eat up. You'll need your strength for what Oliver has planned for you." He slid a fork through the slot.

"What's going to happen to us?" Luciano merely chuckled.

"Ah, if only you knew. Now, hurry up and eat." Lili scowled, then picked up the fork and began to eat. She could hear more chuckling, then heavy footsteps thudding away from her cell.

Once she had finished the plate of pancakes, she felt a small pain in her chest, but chalked it up to eating too fast. She lay down on the hard floor and fell quickly to sleep

.

~~~Choices~~~

The next morning, she woke to two unpleasant situations. The first, all of the second players in her cell, Luciano shaking her with his boot to awaken her. The second, a throbbing pain in her stomach. It felt like somebody had slipped about two tons of broken glass into those pancakes.

"W-what did you put in those pancakes?"

Flavio giggled. "Just a little hydrofluoric acid." Lili growled. Her stomach felt like it was about to burst. Oliver leaned down and patted her on the head.

"Don't fret, my pet. I have the antidote for you!" He pulled a cupcake out from behind his back.

"This cupcake contains calcium gluconate powder, an antidote for hydrofluoric acid. But... one catch. It contains the blood of your _dear_ friend, Gigi." He set the cupcake in front of her face. "But if you don't eat it," he giggled, "You'll die!" Lili didn't want to eat anything with blood in it, much less the blood of somebody she knew, but she had no choice. She reached for the cupcake and took a slow bite. The crumbling pastry was streaked with a red tone, leaving the cupcake a pink color. Sadly, Oliver hadn't added any other ingredients this time, so the full metallic tang was all Lili tasted. With every bite, her stomach grew agitated, when finally she finished the cupcake and collapsed on the floor, shaking. Oliver and the other second players smirked.

"Poor, poor poppet. The poison will eventually fade, thanks to the antidote, but not for a very, very long time. Best make yourself comfortable."

Oliver pushed a red plastic bucket toward her with his foot.

"You'll probably need this. We don't want you getting the floor messy, do we?" He ushered out the other second players and closed the door behind him. Lili felt a wave of nausea rising up toward her throat, and she fumbled for the bucket.

 _That...sneaky...bastard..._

~~~Sploosh~~~

Lili's stomach felt like somebody had stepped on it, then kicked it, then tossed it into a soccer field and played a little league game with it. She retched another wave of half-digested stomach acid into the red bucket and grimaced. Vash was starting to twitch, and she thought that was a good sign. She would go over to comfort him, but she was afraid of getting him covered in stomach acid. She heaved again, then fell onto her side, shaking like a leaf.

 _Is it over?_

She felt no trace of the sickness she had felt earlier, though her stomach still hurt, so the poison must have worked its way out of her body.

 _Big bruder!_

She crawled slowly over toward Vash, who was quivering slightly. His throat was still bloody, and his vocal chords were still knitting back together, but he seemed better than before.

"I am sorry, big _bruder."_ Lili felt more tears trickling down her cheeks.

 _I will not cry anymore! I've cried too much in these past couple of days._

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then bent down to soothe her brother.

"Don't worry, Vash. Just a few more days, then your throat will be mended, and you can talk again."

Vash turned over, and Lili saw how bad his throat really was. The soft, tender flesh was red raw, and it was oozing some kind of red matter. Lili didn't want to say it, but if they made it out of here, Vash would probably never speak again. Even with a Nation's healing power.

"Big _bruder..._ I'm sorry." Vash realized what she meant, and a single tear slid from the corner of his eye. He turned away, leaving Lili with a sour taste in her mouth and a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. That bad feeling quickly turned into fury, and she let out the scream of an animal, a loud guttural sound that startled Vash.

 _Oliver, you've hurt me too much. I've changed._

She sat down in the middle of her cell, grabbed the coloring book and pencil, and started formulating a plan.

~~~Oliver is in too deep~~~

Lili had just finished writing when she heard a knock on the door. She braced herself, but the door remained closed.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Canada, motherf**ker."

~~~I HAD TO ADD THAT I'M SO SORRY~~~

"You're second player Canadia?"

"It's Canada, But yeah. You can call me Matt."

"Okay." Lili heard the clattering of metal on metal, and the slot in the door opened. A set of keys were pushed through, along with an envelope, a box, and a lump of fabric.

"Here are the keys to your cell. The dress I've given you has pockets on the inside. Put the keys and the envelope in there, and wait until tonight. Inside the envelope are three pills, a red, a silver, and a blue. Once you get out of the cell, go to Oliver's bedroom and put the red one in his drinking water. It should dissolve instantly. Do the same thing with the green pill for Roland. The blue pill is for Vash."

"Where did you get all these?"

"Flavio doesn't keep his poison locked up very well."

"Nice."

"An ally will come to help you through the mirror tonight. Once you get through, take out the small wooden box. Inside is a solution. Spray the liquid on all the mirrors in the house. Don't forget a single mirror, or they can still find you."

"Isn't that kind of magic?"

"They brought you through a f**king mirror. Isn't that magical enough for you to believe?"

"Okay." Lili unfolded the lump of fabric. It was, in fact, a dress. And it did have pockets on the inside.

"Why are you helping me?" She heard a cough from outside, then, "I don't like the way Oliver's been treating you. And Vash."

"T-thank you."

There was no response but the thudding of heavy boot heels on the cold cement floor. Lili quickly got dressed and stuffed the small items in the pockets. Then, she waited.

At about sometime o'clock, Allen came in with a bowl of salad.

"I'm not eating this."

Allen speared a couple of leaves and popped them in his mouth, chewing noisily. Swallowing, he muttered, "Satisfied?" Then, he left. Lili grabbed the for and started to eat. There was also a cup of water for Vash, which he gulped down immediately. Vash hadn't had the strength to move for a couple of days, so it took all he had to reach for the cup.

A couple of hours later, Luciano and Oliver arrived, holding a cup of red liquid. Luciano went for the sketchbook immediately, flipping through the pages and noting the scribbles of crayon that were supposed to be escape plans.

"Oliver, look at this. The little bird is trying to leave the nest early." Oliver chuckled.

"Silly little canary. You know that a bird can't fly if we clip its wings." He handed the cup to Lili.

"Drink up, poppet. You need your vitamins." Lili took the plastic cup and lifted it to her lips, sipping the thick red liquid. She knew what it was very well, but they wouldn't leave unless she finished.

"How'd you get a new dress?"

"Flavio brought it down for me."

When the thick, metallic liquid was finally drained, the two left her alone. She wiped off the red staining her lips and sighed.

It felt like forever when night finally came.

She waited for what seemed like forever until she heard a knock on the door.

"Hey, bitch. I'm here to help you."

Lili pulled out the keys and unlocked her cell door as quietly as possible. When the door swung open, the girl standing there stopped it with her hand.

The girl had long brown hair tied in a ponytail, and her eyes were brown as well. She wore a short black skirt, black leggings, and a hoodie with a band name Lili had never heard of. Her eyes were heavily lidded with black makeup, and she wore spiked combat boots on her feet.

"Um..."

"I'm Erika. Your second player."

Looking closer, Lili could see a faint resemblance in their body shape and...um...lack of a figure.

"Nice to meet-"

"We'll have time for all that later. Come on, _quietly._ " Lili turned to Vash first. Pulling out the small envelope, she slipped the blue pill into Vash's mouth. He swallowed it, then recoiled at the taste. He went through several muscle spasms before standing up, staggering a little, and walking out the door. His movements were very uneven, and it took all he had to keep standing, but he managed.

"I'll get him through the mirror. You go and do what you have to." Erika grabbed Vash around the waist and walked him toward the only mirror in the basement. Lili tiptoed upstairs as silently as possible.

First, she went to Oliver's room. She saw a glass of water on the bedside table, just like Matt had described. She tiptoed carefully over and placed the red pill in the water. It dissolved instantly, leaving no trace. She looked at Oliver. He was cuddling with a small, pink, bunny plush, and he looked innocent. This was the man that had brought her over, the man that only wanted somebody to care for.

 _I wish I was sorry. I really, really do._

She tiptoed out, taking one last look at the sleeping man. Then she hurried away to Roland's room, not looking back.

~~~What do the pills do?~~~

Roland's room was harder. He was not a neat person, and the floor was littered with candy wrappers and trash. She was able to make it over without any complications, though she almost tripped over a discarded powder compact. She dropped the silver pill into his water, where it dissolved into metallic powder. She considered adding makeup to his face in revenge, but she figured she probably couldn't do it lightly enough to keep him asleep. She tiptoed across the room and out of site, trying hard to not wake the sleeping beast.

~~~Escape!~~~

Lili slowly descended the steps to the basement. She was contemplating all the memories she had here.

 _Breakfast._

 _Cupcakes._

 _Friends._

 _Laughter._

 _Secrets._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Poppet._

She started to sniffle, silent tears running down her face. she mentally berated herself, but she couldn't help it.

 _This is the house of a psychopath! You shouldn't miss it..._

But, no matter how much she remembered and scolded herself, she would miss this place, at least a little.

"Are you ready?"

Erika was standing there. Vash was gone. Lili took a deep breath.

"I am ready."

Erika took hold of her arm, holding it steady, and led her through the mirror. The familiar sensation of walking through Jell-O™ returned, and Lili winced. Then, it stopped.

Home.

Her bed, her rug, her dresser, it was all here. Lili started to cry harder. She leaped off the dresser and dusted off her shirt. Erika grimaced.

"Stop your whining. You have a job to do." Lili sighed. "Right."

She withdrew the small wooden box from the inside of her dress. Pulling it out, she could see inside was a miniscule spray bottle full of violet liquid. Erika smiled, just once.

"Let me go through before you spray it, or I won't be able to get out." She climbed back up on the dresser, saluted Lili, and slid through the mirror. Lili could see her face on the other side, and she was winking. Then...nothing.

Lili sprayed the purple serum onto the mirror. The mirror turned ice blue, then white, then normal again. Lili pressed against it. Normal. But, then again, it had always been that way to her.

She inspected the house for any mirrors, spraying the violet liquid onto each one, then awaiting the coloration change.

Finally, she had sprayed the mirror in Vash's room, a small square around five inches each side.

"Done!" The violet liquid had lasted a lot longer than she had expected, but it was empty now. She relaxed. No more Oliver. No more Roland. No more...Gigi. Lili had completely forgotten about the small girl. She was trapped. Lili assumed Matt had thought up an escape plan for her, too, but she could only hope.

She heard a fierce thumping from under the covers of Vash's bed.

She turned, and there was her big brother, looking dazed. The wound on his throat burned a sickening red.

"Big _bruder!"_

She ran to him and threw her arms around him, weeping. He tried to speak, but could only manage a weak cough.

"I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have gotten mixed up in all this." He stroked her hair, small tears falling from his eyes.

"Never again." Lili said as she looked up again, hope in her eyes. He nodded.

~~~Happy ending...right?~~~

Oliver woke up, stretching his arms and yawning. It had been a good night's sleep, but he couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. He slid out of bed and grabbed the glass of water from his bedside table and took a long sip. He placed the glass back on the table and turned to go pick out his outfit for the day. But his happy monologue was interrupted by him being overcome by spasms, tearing at the inside of his stomach and causing all his muscles to burn. He fell to the floor, twitching and jerking, until finally he was still. He tried to get up, but his arms and legs wouldn't cooperate. He lay on the floor, seething and twitching gently.

 _Darn Flavio, lock up your poisons better._

~~~What will happen to Roland?~~~

When Oliver was finally able to rise, more than an hour had gone by, and his muscles were still twitching. His stomachache had subsided to a dull throb, and he still had no feeling in his right leg, but his anger had only grown. He walked as fast as possible to Roland's room and lifted his arm to knock on the door.

"Roland, you in there?"

"No. Go away." Roland's voice sounded muffled.

"I'm coming in." Oliver grabbed the door handle as sturdily as possible and pushed open the door. He saw only a giant pile of blankets, quivering softly.

"What's wrong now?"

"Not coming out."

"I swear to god, Roland, you are such a diva." Oliver limped over to the blankets and tore them off of the diva, who shrieked and covered his face.

"Don't look at me!" Oliver moved his hands off of his face, and grimaced.

Roland's face was now a bright blue color, and it seemed to glow.

"What was in that pill?"

"Colloidal silver. Super concentrated."

"What is colloidal silver?"

"Supposed to have healing properties. If you eat it once every day for a few years, your skin turns a blue shade. Flavio combined it with some other chemicals and super-concentrated it. He uses it for whenever Luciano gets too cocky or refuses to try on some clothes." Roland said, bitterly. He placed his head in his hands and let out a dry sob.

"Just cover it up. You're a makeup artist, for pete's sake."

"Somebody hid all my foundation and stage makeup!" Roland wailed. His blue skin and sharklike teeth made him look like some kind of mutant fish.

Oliver winced as another muscle spasm overcame his body, making him shake and jerk around. Roland stopped whining long enough to smirk.

"What happened to you?"

"Somebody slipped me a pill," Oliver hissed as he tried to regain control of his arms and legs, "That limits my muscle control and causes spasms. I have no control over when the spasms happen or where. I can barely stand up, for crying out loud."

Roland smiled, but then remembered his face was a lovely shade of cerulean and started to wail again.

"I'm going to go downstairs and check on Lili. Make breakfast, will you?" Oliver limped to the secret entrance, pushed the button, and slid down with as much dignity as possible.

~~~Where's Lili?~~~

Oliver grappled with the doorknob, trying to get his fingers to cooperate. When he finally got a good grip on the tarnished metal, he turned it and fell through the doorway.

"Lili?"

Silence. Oliver looked up and around the room. It was empty, the white walls seeming to glow mockingly.

"Well..."

Oliver's grin seemed to crawl up the sides of his face. The pink swirls in his eyes seemed to glow with a fire and fury never seen on the strawberry blonde's face before.

"This takes the cake, doesn't it?" His legs gave out from under him and he fell to the floor, giggling madly. Scrambling to get up, he crawled over to the stairway and clung like a baby koala to the banister. He used the wood to get leverage, standing up and climbing up the stairs. He missed every other step, his legs shaking and juddering.

"I swear to god, Roland, you better have made a darn good breakfast, or this morning will become my personal Hell."

~~~Oh, Butterscotch!~~~

Roland did indeed make a good breakfast (Eggs with strips of french toast - and maple syrup), but Oliver was still in a foul mood all through breakfast.

"I'm going through the mirror after breakfast."

"That's nice."

"I'm going to get her back. She can't have gone far."

"Cool."

"This french toast is really good."

"I'm glad you think so." Roland was sitting across from Oliver, sipping a cup of black coffee. Oliver had a glass of milk and was attacking his egg like it owed him money.

"How did you prepare these eggs?"

"Boiled."

"I want scrambled tomorrow."

"You're cooking then."

"Fine."

Oliver sliced the top off of his egg and dipped his spoon in. They ate in silence for a moment until Oliver finally said, "I'm done. Clear the table, will you? I'm going out."

"Sure."

Oliver wiped his lips gingerly with a napkin and stood up. The spasms had finally subsided, though he had cut himself a few times with his butter knife. He pushed in his chair, knocking it against the wooden table, and descended the steps to the basement.

~~~Running out of ideas~~~

" _They'll try to come back and get you."_

Erika had warned Lili a couple of times about this. Oliver and Roland were not going to take her betrayal lightly. That's what the purple elixir was for, to prevent them from coming back and taking revenge on her and Vash and most likely Roderich as well.

" _It's not going to be pretty."_

Lili fell back on the bed and sighed. Everything just seemed slow now, now that she had experienced life in the second player world. Everybody there seemed so...oddly happy, as happy as being a psycho killer could make you.

 _I'm going to miss it...at least the happy parts._

~~HALP~~

Oliver composed himself in front of the mirror. Lili would put up a fight, he was sure. But he brought along a tranquilizer dart, so that he could just carry her back with no problem. And it wouldn't be Vash that gets to play with him tomorrow... _Oh, Matt would be so sorry he decided to mess with Oliver_. Oliver smiled, fingering the small gun he held in his right hand.

 _But enough of that, I have to get Lili first._

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and walked toward the mirror.

And bonked his nose on the the reflecting material.

 _Shoot! Darn darn darn darny darn darn!_

He stepped back, rubbing his nose tenderly. Something was wrong with the mirror. He should have been able to travel through it easily. He placed a palm on the cool surface. Solid.

 _Something must be wrong on the other side._

He grimaced. She had won. There was no way he could get through the mirror. Well, this mirror.

Oliver tried altering the perception to try the bathroom mirror ( _shoot),_ the mirror in the living room ( _fudge_ ), and even the teeny one in Vash's bedroom ( _darn!)_.

She had truly won. There were no more mirrors in the house. But...

There _was_ one more thing he could do.

~~Uh-Oh~~

Lili sat up, rubbing her eyes. She had been waiting almost an hour now, and there was no sign on Oliver. She swung her legs off the bed and was about to leave when she heard a vicious _bang_ come from the mirror. She turned on her heel and ran to the dresser.

There was Oliver, gathering all his energy for one final transmission. His eyes were swirling pink, and his grin stretched all the way up both cheeks.

" _You may have won this time Lili, but you are not safe. I'll follow you, wherever you go, no matter what you do, I'll find you~!"_

Lili scowled.

"And how are you going to do that? I've protected all the mirrors in this house. Go back to your basement and toy with somebody else's mind for a while. I'm done with you!"

Oliver winked at her, and vanished.

There was a silence for a while, and Lili knew it was over. She ran to Vash's room, ecstatic to tell him the news.

It was over.

It was over.

It was over.

 _As Lili runs, a small powder compact falls out of her back pocket. The reflective surface flashes once, then reveals a bright blue eye._

 _"Peek-a-boo, I see you; no one hears your screams~_

 _I will haunt the nights of peace, always in your dreams~_

 _Everything is mortifying, as the people wake~_

 _Because poor Lili thought she could actually out-trick a snake~"_

 _Fin._

 ** _Nuu it is over! Should there be a sequel, or nah? Comment below!_**

 **Thanks to all the people who were along with me on this incredible journey.**

 **Poem above by A Broken Imagi-NATION**


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